


The Worth of a Name

by DragonSaphiraReads



Series: Fluffuary 2020 [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Arranged Marriage AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:42:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22548745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSaphiraReads/pseuds/DragonSaphiraReads
Summary: Logan is the youngest son of a very powerful family, and recently betrothed to Roman Prince, the only son of the affluent Prince family. Before their wedding, they take a trip out to the countryside and realize what they’ve been missing in their lives until now.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders
Series: Fluffuary 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619986
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53
Collections: David's Fic-Rec Friday Recommendations Collection





	The Worth of a Name

**Author's Note:**

> Like listening to podfics? You can listen to this oneshot on my YT channel here! https://youtu.be/imbXXEFAc0g

Logan had always known that his life wasn’t his. He was born into an affluent family, which meant that every move he made was preplanned and monitored to best represent the family name. He couldn’t even relax while in his own home, because there were always guests over that he needed to look presentable for. Business partners and possible suitors and extended family that could only see him at his best. 

Every step was planned by someone else, and Logan learned very early what would happen if he deviated from the carefully cultivated path that had been laid out for him. His older brother had done that - gone and fell in love with someone outside of what his parents consider an “appropriate” social circle. He was now living in a one bedroom apartment with his fiancee, working two jobs to make ends meet. 

He hoped he was happy. He truly did. Because he’d done something that Logan would have never dreamed of, and left the house without looking back. 

“You’re so quiet, Logan! Are you nervous?” 

Logan broke out of his contemplation and refocused, shaking his head at his mother. “No, I’m not. Why would I be?”

His mother pursed her lips, stepping in to adjust Logan’s tie and lapels. “Because you’re meeting your fiancee, my dear! Anyone would be a little nervous in your shoes!” 

“It’s not as if I’m in love with the man. You’re acting as if this is a social visit.”

She sighed, bringing her hand up to cradle Logan’s cheek for a moment. Her eyes were so full of love, and so sad. “Sometimes I wish your father didn’t insist on things like this. Cal is so focused on his work, what’s good for the business, he doesn’t stop to consider what’s best for _you_. You deserve to fall in love, Logan, with whoever you want. Not to be forced into a marriage for business. If there was one thing I could wish for you, it would be that.”

Logan pulled away from her fussing, turning to the mirror to readjust himself. “I’m perfectly happy with my life’s trajectory, mother. I’m content with marrying whoever it is my father thinks is best.”

His mother opened her mouth to say something, but there was a knock on the door that interrupted her as a maid stepped in to tell them that company had arrived. She bit her tongue and simply thanked her, brushing her hands down Logan’s jacket one more time as a final check. “You look so handsome, Logan.”

“Thank you, mother.” Logan responded, detached. 

His mother had been the youngest of five children, and her family had clearly been much more lenient in what she was allowed to do. She had actually had a say in who she married, though it was still a business arrangement in the end. 

It was silly, in Logan’s mind. He had no strong feelings towards anyone, and he knew how powerful a marriage could be between the right families. By marrying the elder son of the Prince family, he would be joining their incredible reach in the arts with his own family’s chain of hotels and airports. 

It would hopefully make his father happy, at least.

Logan rounded the top of the stairs, hand resting on the railing as he took a final moment for himself.

His father was giving him one week to spend time with his new fiancee and get to know him a little. Originally the plan was to skip straight to the wedding, which Logan would have been fine with, but his mother disagreed and they settled on a week of time together. They had a private plane flying them out to his family’s vacation home, so they could spend time alone. At the end of that week, they would be married there, and brought back to start their lives. 

“Pardon sir, but I’ve been sent to bring you to meet our guests.” A servant broke him out of this thoughts again, and Logan cleared his throat and nodded, letting himself be led.

~

“Logan.” His father greeted, waving him over. Logan kept his eyes forward as he joined the other three people sitting there. “This is Liliana Prince. Liliana, this is my son Logan.” His father introduced the woman sitting at the table. An intimidating figure with intense eyes and hair done up in a way that out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn she had horns. 

She stood, and he stretched out his hand and shook hers, feeling the first strike of nerves. Then she gestured to her side, where another young man who bore a striking resemblance to her jumped up from his seat. “This is my son Roman.”

“Nice to meet you, Logan!” Roman exclaimed, shoving his hand in Logan’s direction. It startled him for just a moment, and he hesitated before grabbing it. 

“And you as well, Roman.”

His father’s hand came to rest on Logan’s shoulder, giving an image of protection when really, he knew it was so Logan couldn’t leave. Not that he was thinking about it, of course. 

“I believe this arrangement is going to work out beautifully, Liliana. Again I must thank you for offering your elder son’s hand to us--”

“My only son. I do not have any other children, Calvin.” Liliana interrupted him, and it seemed to actually catch his father off guard. Beside her, Logan saw Roman wince for the tiniest moment before his face smoothed back out into a charming smile. 

“O-Oh, yes of course! My mistake, I apologize.” Logan had never heard his father sound unsure before. This woman... Liliana Prince, she was ruthless and strict. But looking at her son, he didn’t show any sign of nervousness at his mother’s tone. Perhaps he was the same way?

“Why are we waiting? I believe we have a flight to catch.” Liliana said, checking her watch. Calvin did the same, and he nodded. 

“Yes indeed. I’ll have our driver come and pick these two up, and then--”

“I will be going as well.” Liliana interrupted him again, and Calvin blinked. 

“You... are?”

Liliana wrapped a strong arm around Roman, pulling him close to her side. “Roman is my only son and heir, Mr. Andromeda. I will not be sending him off to be married without my supervision. I trust that will not be an issue?” Her steely eyes bored into his father, and Logan tried his best to not flinch as well. 

Calvin waved his hands quickly. “Of course not! Perhaps its for the best, our boys may need a chaperone.” He laughed, and Liliana nodded without smiling. 

“There is no need to call your driver. I will have us brought to the airport in our car. We will be leaving now, if we plan to arrive before sunset.”

“Yes! Let me see you out!” Calvin insisted, and as they left the room he told a passing servant to retrieve Logan’s baggage from their car and transfer it to the Prince’s. 

Logan caught a short glance of his mother, watching him from the doorway of one of the upstairs rooms as he left the house. Her face was neutral, but as always her eyes betrayed her true feelings. 

He couldn’t handle the sad look she was giving him. She looked as though she was the one getting married to a stranger at the end of the week, and not him. His mother had always been so sensitive, and she was the only one who had a problem with it. It was just their way of life, and they couldn’t change that. 

The trip to the airport was interesting. Roman was talkative, but thankfully he seemed to enjoy the sound of his own voice enough that Logan only had to hum in agreement every once in a while and he entertained himself. In the passenger seat, Liliana sat tall and straight, yet relaxed. Her son’s ramblings didn’t even seem to reach her ears until she piped up and corrected a part of a story Roman was telling. 

On instinct, Logan flinched. Her tone mimicked his father’s when he was angry, but Roman took it in stride, correcting his story and continuing without pause. That was the first time Logan started to wonder if there was something more to this woman than just her tough exterior. 

Logan slowly started to warm up to Roman on the plane. There was something about the way his eyes lit up while talking about his passions, and how comfortable he was with getting into his personal space in a way that felt familiar rather than obnoxious. By the end of the three hour flight, he felt like he’d known Roman for years. 

“Wow, look at that! It’s gorgeous, Logan! Is this where we’re staying?!” Roman exclaimed, staring out the window with a hand against the glass as they approached the driveway of his vacation home. 

“It is. I haven’t been here in several years, but my father has a staff working here year round to take care of the property.” Logan told him, feeling a strange, warm sensation curling in the pit of his stomach as the car stopped. 

“What do you think, Mom? I think I see a flower garden around the side there!” 

Logan wanted to scold Roman for addressing her so casually, but he heard Liliana laugh, and it was such a kind and gentle sound that he actually got whiplash. 

“I think you’re right! We’ll have to take a walk around after dinner. I’d love to get a tour of the house Logan, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Logan blinked. “O-Oh! I, ah, I don’t, though like I said it’s been a while since I’ve been here...”

Liliana turned around in her seat to smile at him. “That’s alright. It’s less about the house and more about you, after all. You seem like an interesting young man, Logan, and I’d love to get to know you a bit more without my chatty son taking over the conversation.”

She laughed, and Roman stuck his tongue out at her. Liliana opened her door and got out, going to help the driver unload the back of the car, and Logan leaned over to whisper to Roman.

“What just happened?” He hissed, and Roman paused for a moment before looking through the back window at his mother and laughing. 

“Oh, that? That’s how she is!”

“But... she was so strict earlier!”

Roman shook his head, still grinning. “Nope, that’s just Mom’s business face. She’s the matriarch of our entire family, plus the CEO of like, ten different businesses. She’s gotta put on an act for that, otherwise nobody takes her seriously. But when it’s just us at home? She’s super nice. I promise you’ll like her!”

Logan wasn’t fully convinced it wasn’t some kind of prank, but Liliana knocked on the window and waved for them to get out of the car, and the young men followed her inside the house. 

~

The week went by in a whirlwind. Liliana was just as sweet as she’d been that first day in the car, and it soon became clear that she loved her son more than anything. 

It was on the second to last day that he overheard a whispered conversation between them, and there was one word that was familiar to him. 

“Roman? May I ask you a question?” Logan asked one evening, while they were sitting on the couch together. Roman hummed, allowing Logan to go ahead. “You... have a brother, don’t you?”

Roman tensed, and Logan started to backpedal. “You don’t have to tell me! If it’s a family matter, then I understand.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s... complicated, and a long story, but it’s alright. I can tell you.”

Logan smiled, leaning over and resting his head on Roman’s shoulder for a moment. “Thankfully, you have a lovely voice to listen to.”

Roman beamed, kissing his head. “You’re so cute, Logan.”

They settled back as Roman started speaking. “I do have a brother. A twin, actually. I’m four minutes older than him, so we were really close as kids. But he was never all that good at being, ah... well, he didn’t like this kind of life very much, let’s say.” Roman’s grip on Logan’s shoulder tightened for a moment before relaxing. 

“He liked to go out instead, spend time with normal people and making trouble. It got to a point where he couldn’t just be the hidden son of the Prince family anymore. People started to talk, and Mom gave him a choice. Either he could clean up his act and join me in this whole game of politics and arrangements, or he could leave the house and the family name behind.”

Logan swallowed hard, hearing Roman’s voice break. “And... he chose to leave?”

“He did. He’d met a boy in town that he’d just completely fallen for, and that was it. He left everything behind, including the family name, and he’s never looked back.”

“Do... you miss him?”

Roman shrugged. “I talk to him every now and then. Mom has his phone number stored in a cheap cell phone that we can use to talk to him if we want. But... he’s happy, where he is, and so I’m happy for him.”

Logan shifted, moving back enough so he could see Roman’s face. “Then... why do you look so sad?”

A humorless laugh left Roman. “I’m... well, I’m a little jealous. He got to leave... he got the choice. I know, if I asked Mom for the same thing, if that’s what I really wanted, then she would give it to me. But... I can’t stand the idea of leaving her alone.”

“You really love your mom, don’t you?”

Roman nodded, tilting his head back to keep his tears from falling. “I do.”

“And your brother? What was his name?”

“...Remus. His name is Remus.”

Logan smiled sadly. “I have a brother that left too. His name is Remy, and three years ago he packed up his stuff in a backpack and left in the middle of the day. He lives with his fiancee now... I haven’t spoken with him since that day, but I can only hope he’s happy where he is.”

Roman pulled him into a hug, and they sat in comfortable silence until they changed the topic away from runaway brothers and thoughts of a life outside of anything they’d ever known. 

They talked for hours into the night, and with every word a plan started to form in Logan’s mind. He was nervous to bring it up, but it broke his heart when he imagined their life ahead. Stiff, preplanned, puppets for their families to further their own goals and profits. 

When he finally spoke up, Roman seemed relieved, like it had been weighing on his mind just as heavily as it had on Logan’s. They told Liliana their plan the next morning, and she didn’t seem surprised at all to hear what Roman had to tell her. All she did was stand up and wrap both of them in a tight hug.

“Take care of each other.” She instructed them before handing Roman a small bag. 

“One thing, if I can ask a favor.” Logan spoke, holding an envelope out to Liliana. “Would you be able to get this to my mother? I want her to know that... her wish came true.”

Liliana smiled, taking the envelope and kissing them both on the cheek. “I’m certain she’ll be just as happy to hear that as I am.”

After one final round of hugs, kisses and tears, the young men left the vacation home, and they both took a deep breath of the early morning air. 

They were free. Free, and together, and for the first time in forever, they didn’t know what was waiting ahead. 

Hand in hand, they promised to find out together.


End file.
